Washington D.C., Jul 4, 2016 / 12:22 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Both the Catholic Church and the tradition of religious freedom can trace their roots in the United States to the earliest days of the founding of Maryland, says a new documentary premiering on ... Read more
Vatican City, Jul 4, 2016 / 10:42 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In his most recently-published interview, Pope Francis expressed his dislike of conflict with so-called “ultra conservative” Catholics, but added that he's not held back by it. “They do their work and I do mine,” the Pope said in Spanish during his interview with Joaquín Morales Solá, a journalist of the Argentine daily La Nacion, published July 3. It was Morales who used the term “ultraconservatives” in his question. Francis responded, saying, “I want an open, understanding Church which accompanies wounded families,” whereas ultraconservatives in the Church “say no to everything.” However, the Roman Pontiff suggested he was undeterred by such attitudes. “I continue my path without looking over my shoulder,” he said. “I don't cut off heads. I have never liked doing that.” “I repeat: I reject conflict.” Morales said Francis smiled when he gave his final, cryptic remarks to the question. “Nails are removed by applying pressure to the top. Or, they are set aside to rest, when retirement age arrives.” The question regarding ultraconservatives was an aside from the bulk of the interview. The interview with La Nacion, which is based in Buenos Aires, was largely centered on Argentine politics and the state of the Church in that country. Read more
Denver, Colo., Jul 3, 2016 / 03:37 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- In the year and a half since it opened, Bella Natural Women’s Care has served the needs of some 1,700 women in Denver. And it has no intention of slowing down. By the end of 2016, Bella wil... Read more
Vatican City, Jul 3, 2016 / 06:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- After speaking to Catholic News Agency about how he recently helped his elderly mother to meet Pope Francis, Msgr. Anthony Figueiredo was able to show the Pope himself a few clips of the interview.... Read more
Vatican City, Jul 3, 2016 / 04:38 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Sunday, Pope Francis remembered the victims of attacks in Iraq and Bangladesh over the weekend, and prayed for the conversion of persons “blinded by hate” who commit such acts of violence. “I express my closeness to the families of the victims and the wounded in yesterday's attack in Dhaka, and also of that which took place in Baghdad,” the Pope said during his weekly post-Angelus in St. Peter's Square. “Let us pray together for them, for the departed, and let us ask the Lord to convert the hearts of the violent, blinded by hate.” The pontiff then led the crowds in the Hail Mary. Around 80 people have been killed and more than a hundred wounded after a pair of bombs detonated in Baghdad late Saturday, the BBC reports. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attacks. According to the BBC, the first car bomb struck the Iraqi capital's Kerrada shopping and restaurant district, then a second bomb struck at around midnight in a Shia Muslim area north of the city. Meanwhile, in Bangladesh, twenty-eight people died – including six gunmen and two police officers – during a hostage scenario in the Hotel Artisan Bakery café in Dhaka. Most of the twenty hostages killed in the attack were foreigners from Italy, Japan, one from India, and one from the US, the BBC reports. Although the attack was staged by Islamic militants, authorities say the gunmen have no ties to the Islamic State, the BBC says.Pope Francis sent a telegram on Saturday following the attack in the Bangladesh capital, in which he condemned “such barbarous acts as offenses against God and humanity.” Before leading the crowds in the Angelus prayer, the Pope delivered his reflections on the day's Gospel, during which he spoke about the role of missionaries. “Missionaries always announce a message of salvation to everyone,” the pontiff said. This is true not only of missionaries who travel to far away places, he added, but for all Christian missionaries. This announcement says that the “Kingdom of God is at hand,” he continued, because Jesus has brought God closer to us. “God is made one of us; in Jesus, God reigns in our midst, his merciful love defeats sin and human misery.” The Pope referred to the Gospel reading in which Jesus speaks of sending out “laborers” to retrieve the harvest. “All of this signifies that the Kingdom of God is built day by day, and already offers its fruits of conversion, of purification, of love, and of consolation among men on this earth.” “It is a beautiful thing” to build the Kingdom of God day by day, the Pope said. “Not to destroy; to build!” Francis said the disciple of Jesus who undertakes this mission should be prepared to face difficulties and hostilities. “Hostility is always at the beginning of the persecution of Christians,” he said, “because Jesus knows that the mission is an obstacle against the work of evil.” It is for this reason that the disciples in the Gospel are sent out without money bag, sack, or sandals, in order that they might “rely only on the power of the Cross.” “This means abandoning every reason for personal pride, careerism, or hunger for power,” the pontiff said, so that they may be “humble instruments of salvation operated by Jesus' sacrifice.” To be a Christian in the world “is a wonderful mission,” Francis said, one which serves everyone without exclusion. The Pope reflected on the need for Christians to carry out this mission joyfully. “There is a great need for Christians to witness the Gospel with joy in their everyday life,” he said. Referring to the line in the Gospel that the disciples “returned rejoicing” from their mission, he said: “This expression makes me think of how often the Church rejoices, is made happy when her children receive the Good News thanks to the dedication of many men and women who announce the Gospel daily,” be they priests, sisters, consecrated persons, or missionaries. Francis concluded by issuing a challenge to the young people in the square to listen to God's word, and follow it. “Do not be afraid! Be courageous, and carry this torch of apostolic zeal which has been given to us by these exemplary disciples.” Read more
Parañaque, Philippines, Jan 1, 2017 / 06:09 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A long-venerated icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help turned 150 last year, and many Filipinos’ Marian devotion has never been stronger. “There is one clear reason for the thousands of devotees who flock to Baclaran: the special Marian piety of the Filipino people,” Fr. Joseph Echano, CSsR, rector of the National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, told CNA. “What Baclaran is today is because of the Filipinos’ deep devotion to Mary,” he added. “Indeed, if Filipinos are sent on mission throughout the world, our special gift in mission will be our love of our blessed Mother Mary… the devotion to Mother Mary is deeply embedded in Filipino culture.” There is a phrase in Spanish about the Filipinos. They are "pueblo amante de Maria," people in love with Mary. For Fr. Echano, Baclaran is “the quintessential expression of this.” The shrine’s rector estimates as many as 100,000 devotees flock to the shrine every Wednesday and there are 80,000 visitors a day every Sunday. The centuries-old miraculous icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help is enshrined in the National Shrine of Baclaran in Parañaque, part of Metro Manila. Behind the icon is a special purpose. “The icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help is not to show a beautiful scene or person but to convey a beautiful spiritual message – the perpetual help and love of God through the intercession of Our Mother of Perpetual Help,” Fr. Echano said. In the year 1866, Blessed Pius IX entrusted the icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help to the Redemptorist congregation, giving them the mission to make her known throughout the world. Redemptorist missionaries arrived in the Philippines in 1906, bringing a copy of the icon. They gathered a small group of 70 people for the first novena at a humble wooden church in a fishing village. Little did the pioneer missionaries know that the place would become the largest Marian shrine in the world. Japanese invaders during the Second World War destroyed many local buildings. Other buildings were ransacked and many people were killed, but the icon was saved. It has been installed in the new Romanesque structure constructed in 1958. Since then the church has never been closed, not even when curfew was declared during martial law under President Ferdinand Marcos. Three shifts of private security guards ensure good order and there has never been a single case of vandalism. Fr. Echano said it is hard to explain what keeps people coming to visit Our Mother of Perpetual Help every. “Evidently, the love of God and the intercession of Our Mother of Perpetual is truly experienced by the devotees, in spite of all the pains and struggles they go through in life,” he said. Devotees and pilgrims from far across the country bring traditional offering of flowers and lighted candles. They recite novena prayers, pray the Holy Rosary, sing hymns and participate in the evening processions to honor and thank the Blessed Virgin Mary. St. John Paul II was a visitor to the shrine in 1981 on his apostolic visit to Philippines. The shrine celebrated its annual patron feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help on June 27 and marked the 150th anniversary of the icon. The Redemptorist communities in Baclaran have launched a series of environmental projects including one called “Greening the Shrine.” The Redemptorist community is now adopting solar power as a safe and clean alternative to conventional energy sources. With an estimated installation costs of $192,000, it will generate power peaking near 86 kilowatts. The Redemptorists will be able to sell any surplus power generated. Fr. Joseph said that the solar project will have high initial costs. In the long run, he said, this investment will be recovered as the shrine and the rectory will pay much less for electricity. The project will help the shrine reduce its carbon footprint. He said the shrine must embody what Catholics preach, including “sustainable living, sustainable relationships with Mother Nature, with God’s creation.” The shrine has begun to recycle plastic bottles and other recyclable materials disposed of by visitors. Fr. Joseph said that the plastic bottles are now being reused for vertical gardening in the shrine. He said they add to the beauty of the place and show that growing vegetables is feasible even in the city. “Besides adding beauty to the place, vertical gardening aims to show that growing vegetables even in the city is feasible,” the priest added. “This will hopefully encourage the devotees to grow food right in their own backyard so that they do not have to buy everything they need.” The shrine’s website helps people on the internet connect to prayer at the shrine. Novenas and live Masses are streamed online. “This is essential as we would like to reach out to the millions of devotees of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, especially Filipinos, who are spread in almost every country of the world,” Fr. Joseph said. This article was originally published on CNA July 2, 2016. Read more
Rome, Italy, Jul 2, 2016 / 09:13 am (CNA/EWTN News).- It was during the thalidomide sleeping pill craze that Sarah Figueiredo became pregnant with her fourth and last child, Anthony. Developed after the Second World War and found not only to help with... Read more
Vatican City, Jul 2, 2016 / 08:50 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis has again voiced his sorrow for another “barbarous” terrorist attack, offering his prayers for the families and victims of a July 1 a siege on a restaurant in Bangladesh le... Read more
Wichita, Kan., Jul 2, 2016 / 03:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- There's good news in Kansas: former army chaplain Father Emil J. Kapaun has taken a step closer to possible beatification and sainthood. But for Scott Carter, coordinator for the Father Kapaun Guild, the story of the priest himself is the real news. “If someone who grew up so close to us, in circumstances fairly similar to us, is able to achieve sainthood, it’s inspiring,” he told CNA June 30. “It really makes the faith hit home. It really brings it to life and makes us realize that everything we talk about, the gospel, Jesus' promises, all of this is real and it is possible to achieve.” Carter reflected on the impact that Father Kapaun's life still has on the Catholic faithful and other admirers. “It's a great mixture of God's grace and human effort. I think that's probably what attracts most people,” he said. “You hear amazing stories, you realize he's only able to do what he does because of God.” Carter spoke of the number of times the Korean War-era priest survived battles and his runs onto the battlefield to rescue the wounded. The priest's pipe was shot out of his mouth several times. Fr. Kapaun was born in Pilsen, Kansas to a farming family. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Wichita in June 1940. He served as a U.S. Army chaplain from 1944 through 1946, then re-joined the military chaplaincy in 1948. He was sent to Korea in July 1950, where he became known for his service with the U.S. Army's Eighth Cavalry regiment. The priest would stay up at night to write letters home on behalf of wounded soldiers. He was captured by Chinese soldiers at Unsan in North Korea. As a prisoner, the priest carried a fellow prisoner sixty miles, even though the man weighed 20 pounds more than he did. He would share food and wash the clothes of prisoners and pick lice off of the clothes. After he was placed in a prisoner of war camp, Fr. Kapaun helped his fellow prisoners solve problems and keep up morale. His efforts helped them to survive in a harsh winter. For those who did not survive, he helped bury their corpses. Fr. Kapaun would celebrate the sacraments for his fellow prisoners, hear their confessions, and say Mass. The priest eventually developed a blood clot in his leg and fell ill with dysentery and pneumonia. He died May 23, 1951 and was buried in a mass grave on the Yalu River. In April 2013, he was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military honor. Now the Catholic Church is considering whether he should be beatified. Six historical consultants of the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints have evaluated the documents in his case for completeness and accuracy. They approved them at a June 21 meeting in Rome. “This news cannot be perceived as anything but a great sign,” Fr. John Hotze said June 23. The priest of the Wichita diocese is the episcopal delegate of the Office of Canonization of Fr. Emil Kapaun. “This is a great step forward and recognition of the work we’ve done and of the life of Father Kapaun, and has happened much more quickly than I had anticipated.” Fr. Hotze said that canonizing a saint has never been taken lightly. The vote sends Fr. Kapaun's cause to the theological consultants who will review the priest’s writings and teachings for conformity with Catholic doctrine and teaching. Their approval would send the case to a panel of the congregation’s cardinals and bishops, which could vote to send the case to Pope Francis for final approval. Separately, medical consultants are examining evidence of alleged miracles attributed to the priest’s intervention. One miracle must be approved for Fr. Kapaun’s beatification, and a second for his canonization. Read more
Detroit, Mich., Jul 1, 2016 / 03:56 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- In Michigan a new kind of specialized education is being crafted from the backbone of Jesuit formation, which will cater to students who learn differently than those in a traditional setting by focusing on special needs education.Veritas Christi Catholic High School has only been a virtual reality so far, offering students with special needs a Catholic education online. However, Veritas Christi plans to physically open the doors to their school campus in the fall, giving their students a space to learn in the outskirts of Ann Arbor. “We’ve been called to fulfill this mission,” the school’s co-founder Richard Nye told CNA. “It has been and continues to be a research mission to develop and design the absolute best comprehensive, Catholic high school for students with special needs,” Nye continued. Nye himself benefitted from special needs education throughout his elementary, secondary, and high school years. His wife is a polio survivor and his grandson also has special needs – just a few reasons why he wanted to start a Catholic-centric high school to serve students with a range of different abilities. From years of careful research and collaboration, Veritas Christi was born. The school has formed a Jesuit-centered curriculum which will cater to both students who will end their education at high school and those who will continue on to higher education. All of the school’s teachers are Catholic and endorsed by Michigan as special education teachers. The classrooms will remain small, with about 8 to 10 students per class, and admittance to the school will be considered on a case-by-case basis. “We want to make sure of every opportunity for our students to enjoy the best in Catholic education,” Nye stated, “and we don’t want to overpromise. That’s our goal.” Although there are other Catholic schools around the country who accommodate students with more specific special needs, Veritas Christi is unique because of their broader approach. “There are thirteen categories of special needs in Michigan – this comes from the department of education. Our goal is to meet the needs of all thirteen categories as much as we possibly can,” he continued, “and I say that with all due respect to other Catholic schools.” The school has received endorsements from such prominent figures as Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, former Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, Vice President Joe Biden, and philosopher Jean Vanier. Although the location for the school has already been decided, the funding for the building is based on donations. The opening of the Veritas Christi campus will be dependent upon receiving the first year’s lease - $160,000 - before the fall semester, and they have started a crowdfunding page encouraging donations. With about 50 students on the waiting list, Nye said that “the immediate, overriding goal is to raise the money for at least one year’s lease... we have parents waiting for those doors to open.” Maureen Martindale is one of those parents. She lives about 45 minutes from the prospective campus, and is eager for her child to attend Veritas Christi. “What intrigued us most about Veritas Christi is the religious and Jesuit-centered education offered to children of all abilities,” Martindale told CNA. “The ultimate mission of Veritas Christi High School is to teach these special children of God what his love looks like and feels like in the classroom. The two most important subjects in their curriculum are love and respect,” she continued. Martindale isn’t the only parent looking for a Catholic education for her special needs child. Nye said parents from all over the country have promised to move to Michigan if the school opens. “The response has been overwhelming,” Nye noted, saying the school is the answer to many families' prayers. “If we can raise the money for our 1-year lease, that would be absolutely an answer to our prayers and prayers of other people, especially parents,” Nye stated. If the school successfully launches, Nye said the long-term plans would be to “develop Veritas Christi into a day school and a boarding school for students who are unable to move here.” The school would also expand to offer a first-class athletic program, through a partnering opportunity with the University of Michigan’s athletic department. “What we hope it will accomplish is filling a need that is currently not being met,” Nye stated, saying, “so far, the reaction has been extremely positive.” Read more
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